Fred placed the cup of tea still in its place for a few moments.
Eugene, Rin, and Reem looked at one another, surprised as to why he had stopped.
But their questions faded when he continued speaking, his sadness clearly visible.
"Greed… one of humanity's greatest problems. My parents—hmm, well… they were greedy in everything.
Impatience and greed blinded their sight."
"The capital's leader invited my parents to attend a ceremony honoring the achievements they had accomplished. During that time, a heated argument broke out between my parents and the gang leader. My father, while drunk, fired a shot that struck the president's cheek."
Eugene's eyes widened for a moment.
"So they ran away from him, didn't they?"
Fred rubbed the back of his head, then nodded slightly, confirming Eugene's words.
Rin asked curiously, "What happened after that?"
"They fled, and because of his control over most regions, they were forced to escape by boat to the Neptune Empire."
"Wait," Reem said, trying to process Fred's words. "Where are you from?"
Eugene looked at her in surprise and said,
"From the Munian Empire. Why do you think he's at the academy?"
Reem turned her head away, her voice carrying slight disappointment.
"Where did your mind go? He said they escaped to Neptune, and he's here with us now—meaning he's not from Munian at all."
"You're right. I wasn't born there, nor are my origins from Munian. I'm from Ibs."
Rin's mouth opened slightly, his eyes widening as he placed his hands on the table in shock. Reem shared the same expression, unlike Eugene, who seemed clueless about what Ibs was.
Silence spread briefly before Rin spoke,
"W–wait… you're from Ibs? How did you survive in that place?"
"Hey, you two—what is Ibs anyway? You know I've never opened a book before!"
Fred placed his hand on his head and looked toward Eugene.
"You should read books. The world of farmers doesn't rely on power alone."
Eugene felt a bit disappointed; Fred had ignored his question.
"Yeah, fine. Just tell me—what is Ibs?"
Reem raised an eyebrow, speaking with a slightly arrogant tone toward Eugene.
"Ibs is a continent that lives by the principle of the strong devouring the weak. There are no laws or order—just chaos. It's also known as the land of criminals and anarchy."
Eugene raised his thumb with a sarcastic, cold look mixed with slight irritation.
"Wow, amazing."
He placed his entire left hand on the table.
"You should learn some humility."
Reem interlocked her fingers, maintaining the same tone and stare.
"If you started reading, I might try."
Rin stood between them, leaning his body slightly forward, feeling the tension in the charged atmosphere.
To him, Eugene and Reem's relationship was a strange mix of rivalry and kindness—each had their own side.
Eugene's pride refused to let him appear foolish or weak, even if he had to pretend otherwise.
Reem shared that same pride, but with a gentle and kind side.
A strange bond.
Rin's mind analyzed everything around him—something he had done since childhood.
Fred stood up, stretching tiredly as he headed toward the exit.
"I'll see you later."
Eugene, Rin, and Reem bid Fred farewell as he left. They continued chatting for no less than half an hour, then all stood up and left the restaurant.
"Ugh… I'm really sleepy. What do we have tomorrow?" Eugene asked Rin.
Rin replied, also feeling tired,
"I don't think there are any lectures tomorrow. I think it's a one-day break."
Reem adjusted the hijab she was wearing and said,
"So what will you two do tomorrow?"
Eugene lifted his gaze to the sky.
"I think I'll go to the office."
A sarcastic smile appeared on both Rin's and Reem's faces as they exchanged glances.
"Ha, looks like that argument made him realize how stupid he is."
"Hahaha, yeah. He should feel stupid—as long as he's talking to me, since I'm extremely cultured."
Strange expressions appeared, mixing disgust and irritation.
"Thank God I'm not a bookworm like them," he muttered sarcastically.
Then he bid them farewell and headed toward his apartment.
He arrived, opened the door, and stepped inside.
"It seems the great winter is approaching—the weather is cold."
This time, Eugene headed toward the desk where he was supposed to study.
Note: (He has not opened a book since the beginning of the school year).
A luxurious wooden desk with a single long drawer.
He opened the drawer, took out his notebook and pen, placed them on the desk, opened the notebook, and began to write.
"It has been months since the village incident. I still have many nightmares and feel a strange sensation. I don't really know what this feeling is.
But I know it's not a good one. Anyway, many things have happened recently, so I want to summarize them. I don't know why I'm writing this down, but it's not a problem.
First point: What I know now is that farmers can sense Rish, a spiritual energy of the water type, present everywhere. This energy merges with physical concepts of the era to form the Imprint.
The Imprint is also something intangible. They drink manufactured potions made from specific ingredients in a particular way to understand and sense a specific Imprint.
I took the Fog Imprint. I don't know its abilities yet, but I will discover them in the coming period."
—He turned the page and continued writing after a few seconds of thought.
"Second point: There is something very bad about this place."
He began recalling memories of Musa's moment of terror from that symbol.
"Despite being one of the strongest farmers, he was clearly terrified and shaken upon seeing that symbol. I even saw it in my dream.
So now I have two options:
The first option—the most dangerous—is to investigate and search for the secret behind his fear. But I don't think I'll find anything. If the symbol itself caused such terror to one of the Four Guardians, then what about the one behind the symbol?
I might throw myself into a vortex I'm not prepared for.
The second option—the safer one, or perhaps just as dangerous—is to forget about the symbol and wait until I gain the necessary power to investigate it.
But first, I must observe Rin. James must truly be just a disguise. And since I met Rin, it is my responsibility, as someone who holds this information, to protect him—not just Rin, but Reem and Fred as well."
Eugene sighed, placed the pen down, and lifted his head, staring at the bright yellow ceiling.
"What am I even saying? I need protection before I protect anyone else.
I must focus now on developing my skills and abilities before anything else."
...
Reem opened her eyes while waiting for the tea to heat up.
Her long, soft black hair and her pink pajamas decorated with pink bunny drawings.
She was deeply sad, still unable to comprehend the death of her cat. Her face was pale, tired, and sorrowful, her heart burning with pain and anger.
She clenched her hand, the veins on it becoming visible.
"What should I do now?
Should I focus on developing my abilities? Even if I did, I wouldn't be able to hurt that bastard."
The image of Ralph came to her mind when she remembered finding his handkerchief near her cat's corpse.
"I think it's best to tell Musa or Eid… but Musa has been missing for a while, and he's rich with noble origins. To them, this is just a cat. They won't do anything to him… unfortunately."
She recalled the looks of disgust and arrogance from her first day.
"What disgusting rich people."
She moved her hand back, shifting her attention toward Rin, who was stretching his arms while lying down.
"I think I'm stupid for this line of thought. There's definitely something wrong. Eugene's shocked reaction when he saw the symbol proves he has seen it before."
He turned onto his right side.
"And Musa's reaction and denial confirm he's hiding something too."
"Ugh…" he sighed sadly and in confusion.
"Anyway, I must focus on understanding this ability and training it."
Rin closed his eyes, which bore a crescent mark inside the iris.
Distinctive eyes like his brother Eugene's—Eugene had solar eyes, and Rin lunar ones.
The sun and the moon, light and darkness.
Is this a coincidence?
In the darkness of the night, footsteps moved calmly and steadily toward a tall, ancient tree. A man stood there, his features unclear due to the darkness.
Strange—at this time, one would usually be watching a movie or something.
Fred sat beside the tree where that person was sitting.
The man spoke in a cheerful tone; his voice was the same as the young man who had spoken to Alex earlier.
"Oh, Fred. How are you?"
Fred picked some herbs from the ground and said,
"Fine. Life's been boring lately."
"Boring? On the contrary—it's exciting and fun."
"Are you talking about life, or about one of the girls you know?"
"Hahaha, no, not like that… or maybe yes."
Fred sighed and threw himself onto the ground.
"You should stop acting like a teenager."
The man replied with a light laugh,
"I am a teenager."
"I don't mean recklessness or carelessness. You're a powerful farmer from an extremely wealthy family. Use that talent and wealth for something important—instead of women and late nights."
The man lowered his head slightly, crossed one leg over the other, and faced Fred.
"Forget about me for now. Tell me—why have you gotten close to those people?"
Fred moved his head until his eyes met the man's, saying in surprise,
"Who?"
The man pointed toward the apartment building where Eugene, Reem, and Rin lived.
"Oh, you mean Eugene and the others?"
"Yes, yes—Eugene, or whatever his name is."
"It's nothing. I just like sitting with them."
The man adjusted his posture, sitting fully on the ground and facing Fred, placing his hands on his knees.
"You don't sit with us anymore just to sit with them. You're really strange."
"Well, you're busy with women, late nights, and training. The others are either busy or act stupidly in ways that don't suit my style or personality."
"And who cares? You act overly polite and orderly. You're a farmer and a handsome young man—do whatever you want."
Fred shook his head in disagreement.
"No. That's just who I am. Besides, I prefer to spend my time improving my level."
The man sighed, somewhat surprised by Fred's way of thinking, then leaned his back against the tree.
"Improving your level isn't important at your rank. And I know what you're going to say—you're rich and talented, so things are easy for you…"
He paused for a moment, thinking.
"You know what? You're right. My talent and wealth do make things easy—and that's something wonderful."
A moment of silence spread through the place—only the calm of the night, the cold air, the sounds of grass and trees moving, mixed with the chirping of crickets beneath the full moon.
End of Chapter
The mysterious man talking to Fred and Alex clearly knows them...
Friend or foe? What's your guess? 👤🔍"